Afghan minister survives assasination attempt

Police said a bomb targeting Afghanistan's energy minister exploded outside a girl's high school in the country's west.

Minister Ismail Khan and his delegation escaped unharmed after yesterday's bombing in Herat. A spokesman for police in western Afghanistan said there are civilian casualties, but he did not know how many.

Mr Khan is considered the major powerbroker in the region and was once governor of Herat, a western province bordering Iran.

Police spokesman Raouf Ahmadi said the remote controlled bomb was hidden inside a cart on the main road from the airport.

Handcarts full of fruit, nuts and household goods fill the streets in Afghanistan. Insurgents frequently use them to hide bombs.